Queensland Open finalists decided

News Article

Photo: Philippe Buissin Sabine Ellerbrock (GER)

Michael Jeremiasz of France and Martin Legner of Austria will contest the first men’s main draw singles final of the 2012 NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour after an exciting penultimate day of play on Saturday at the ITF 2 Series Queensland Open in Brisbane.

Sabin Ellerbrock had to come from a set down to reach the women’s final, in which she will play Australian Daniela di Toro, while Greg Hasterok of USA upset second seed John Parfitt of Great Britain to reach the quad singles final against Italian top seed Marco Innocenti.

After seeing his Queensland Open challenge end in the quarterfinals in 2011, third seed Jeremiasz was given a tough time by last year’s runner-up David Phillipson in his semifinal, but the French former world No. 1 eventually came through 64 26 75.

In the other semifinal there was also British presence, but former world No. 3 Legner used his vast experience to edge out Marc McCarroll 76(5) 63.

Top seed Ellerbrock was not at her best against fellow German Katharina Kruger in the women’s semifinals, but held won the points that mattered in the second and third sets to prevail 46 63 63.

However, former world No. 1 di Toro was rarely in trouble in her semifinal against South African fourth seed Kgothatso Montjane, winning the first ever encounter between the two players 61 62.

The quad singles semifinals saw world No. 19 Hasterok win the crucial points against Parfitt to have the edge for a 63 64 victory. Meanwhile, Innocenti was given a tough examination in the first set of his semifinal against Canada’s Adrian Dieleman, but after clinching a first set tiebreak the Italian dominated the remainder of the contest to advance 76 60.